Bab 20: Chapter 20: Uncle Atul, the Frog
"Hey, my dear Eden, would you like to give me a loving hug?"
"Of course."
As they played, they suddenly embraced, startling Bronie.
After their tender embrace, Elysia looked at herself again.
"Bronie, could you give me a warm hug?"
"Of course you can..."
A sweet fragrance filled the air, followed by a soft sensation of suffocation.
Bronie's eyes widened, feeling her mind go blank.
Was this something she could enjoy?
This encounter made her life worth living!
If life had an achievement system, hugging Elysia would definitely be considered a rare one.
After all, even if you entered the Elysian Realm, there was no guarantee of seeing Elysia, right?
Perhaps the reason she could see her was because of the unique way she entered the paradise. It was assumed to be Elysia's, so naturally, she had to see who this person was that could bypass the world serpent's blockade and enter the Elysian Ream.
Wasn't this a wonderful encounter?
"Hehehe, Bronie is so soft and small, very cute!"
"I still have plenty of room to grow."
Bronie didn't want to be considered too small.
Despite her mature behavior, her height was the only issue.
But didn't she add some height with the rabbit ears on her hood?
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Then I'll continue playing, okay?"
"You go ahead..."
Who knows what Elysia was thinking.
But Bronie was confident in her future growth potential.
Eden controlled the cat, moving back and forth on the ship, while in the kitchen, fish just caught were being cooked.
Honestly, seeing everyone still needing to eat in the afterlife world, Eden couldn't help but feel a bit hungry.
"Elysia, how long has it been since we last ate?"
"Well..."
Elysia also needed some time to remember.
Memory bodies didn't need to eat. At first, everyone was a bit unaccustomed, but to avoid increasing Klein's workload, they hadn't eaten much.
Everything here was completed through cognition. Even if they ate every day for fifty thousand years, eating the same taste repeatedly wasn't really necessary.
So, after thinking it over, Elysia's answer surprised Bronie slightly.
"Since entering the Elysian Ream, except for Eden, no one else has eaten anything!"
"As for me, I usually just taste the wine from my memories. Would you like to taste it? It won't affect a child's body; it's just a taste from my memories."
Eden took out a golden wine glass filled with red wine.
Bronie hesitated for a moment, then gulped it down.
"Cough, cough, cough... forgive me, I'm not used to fine wine; it tastes average."
"Hehehe..."
Eden chuckled.
"You don't taste fine wine like that. I'll teach you properly in the future. Perhaps you'll appreciate the richness and sparkle behind the wine's story."
"Perhaps, I still have a lot to learn."
"Alright Eden, let's continue our game! Gwen is waiting for us to rescue him!"
"Right."
The game resumed because there was no pause; the scenery on the ship shifted from noon to evening.
Under the sunset, the sea had a unique charm.
Then Gwen led the protagonist to cut wood, mine, and wade in shallow water.
After collecting enough materials, they could farm on the ship.
Beehive Castle was the nearest populated island. With more people, naturally, traders would appear.
And the traders had the seeds needed for farming.
Gwen thought the trader was too greedy, so she confronted him, demanding he adjust the seed prices to a reasonable level.
Like a caring big sister.
But Gwen didn't plan to help with farming. Because even though she usually had mature behavior, she would only add chaos to farming, just like her father's empathy.
"I think you should find some new friends."
"It's not that I dislike the idea of us wandering the seas together. But you're a Spiritfarer. The ferryman's mission is to find souls and help them fulfill their last wishes, no matter how trivial. I heard there's a place not far from here where someone might need your help."
"New friends? What kind of person would it be?"
On the map, Gwen marked the location of the next character.
Elysia had anticipated it, and Gwen's identity had been successfully shaped.
A protective older sister, a strong woman, a guide.
And the next characters, each one would definitely not be worse than Gwen.
There might be some differences, but from Undertale, it could be seen that Bronie was actually very gentle with everyone.
"Let's set sail. Only by reaching our destination will we know the final result, right?"
Elysia was like a curious baby, always asking questions, but Eden knew this slightly embarrassed Bronie.
After all, spoilers would reduce the enjoyment of the game by half.
"And I bet if he's the one I think he is, you'll definitely like him."
"Go on, set sail."
Gwen added, then went on to do her own thing.
Although the protagonist's ship didn't need sails, just setting a destination on the map was enough.
But if they passed by anything on the way, the ship would still be seen passing through that area. In other wrords, the ship wasn't just a cutscene; it was really sailing.
Of course, on a two-dimensional plane, it was hard to notice.
On the way to Beacon Creek Island, there was a fierce thundercloud surrounding it, but fortunately, it was only raining in the sky, occasionally with a little lightning, which didn't pose any threat to the ship.
In this afterlife world, everything seemed so peaceful, without any danger.
After arriving at Beacon Creek Island, they went right, deep into the island, where a lonely soul was standing by the pond.
Approaching and interacting, the other party spoke up.
"Hey! Great! I found you.
Listen, I just dropped my lemon into that pond.
My fingers were so sticky, and it just slipped out accidentally.
Why, you ask?
Good question! I've been eating delicious berries all day, look at my hands, I swear.
I've been experimenting.
I wanted to squeeze some lemon juice onto these wild berries.
Now look, only berries are left.
Unless you can help me, right below here."
The center of the pond emitted golden light, indicating something could be caught underwater.
A simple task, right?
However, Eden's controlled cat was very afraid of water. If forced to go underwater, the cat would walk on the surface using the Everlight.
So Elysia did it.
A lemon!
After fishing it up, she handed it to the other party, but they didn't take it.
After a reminder not to squeeze it, the other party proposed the idea of coming aboard for some food and drink.
This was exactly what a ferryman of souls was supposed to do.
Find lost souls and bring them aboard, gradually fulfilling their wishes.
"It feels like the other party knows Stella."
Elysia was always accurate in her assessments of people. Although she hadn't spent much time with the other party, facing such a familiar request, she sensed something unusual.
Coupled with Gwen's words.
It seemed Gwen also knew the other party?
"Why not check the description of that lemon in your backpack?" Eden suggested, and Elysia hadn't considered that. After opening the backpack, she saw the description of the lemon. It was a plastic lemon.
"This is a joke," Bronie explained.
"I totally fell for it..." Elysia chuckled lightly, completely surprised that the other party would leave such a joke. Then the two returned to the ship.
"Wow, this ship is really amazing! The real big news is coming, you little rascal. Get ready for a family reunion!"
Gwen was already waiting at the bow of the ship. And further ahead, the soul they had met before stood there, waiting to return to its true form. Elysia approached and interacted. Then, a familiar golden light flashed. And this time, what appeared before everyone was a chubby blue-green frog.
"Wow!"
Elysia looked at the chubby frog and felt a sense of security all over her body.
"It's me! Stella, your uncle Atul! Surprise, aren't you? I hope you're happy to see me! I've been on the island for a while now. Can't wait to explore the scenery and the sea with you! I've been thinking alone, feeling lonely. And now I finally see you! Bean sprout. Let's set sail and have a great adventure together! Onward! Wait... is that..."
Atul seemed to have discovered something and hurried to the stern of the ship. Elysia was completely led by Atul.
"So it's her Uncle..."
"But if we meet in this world, that mean..."
Eden's expression wasn't actually good. Meeting again in this afterlife world, how sad it was...
"Perhaps it's not so bad, my dear Eden. Meeting a long-lost relative again, isn't that something to be happy about? And the most important thing is that he's also in trouble, with unfinished wishes. Helping him is also a rare opportunity, isn't it?"
"You're right, Elysia. Everything often has its two sides, and we shouldn't just focus on the bad side."
Follower Atul arrived at the stern.
"I knew it! It's the Sea Master 2000! I've never seen it with my own eyes, just heard all kinds of legends. They say with it, you can catch the biggest and most beautiful fish. Wow, Stella! You're really good to yourself!"
"Of course!"
Elysia responded from outside. And Eden said, "Unfortunately, it seems like we've been catching a lot of junk lately. I don't know what's going on."
Yes, during the process of finding Atul, after multiple attempts by the two, they only caught garbage. At that time, they just thought they were unlucky.
"Wait a minute! You're missing a few bolts. Let me guess, you've mainly been catching junk, right? Hmm, that won't happen again in the future!"
Atul said, then began to modify the fishing platform. "It's clear that Uncle is a very enthusiastic and cheerful person."
"Yes, my dear Eden, that's the problem. Why would such an enthusiastic and cheerful uncle linger in the afterlife ocean?"
The keen Elysia noticed this subtle contradiction. And in her eyes, Atul's behavior was actually diverting the protagonist's attention, so as not to notice some of his inner vulnerabilities or sadness. Because he was someone who was prone to overthinking.
He had claimed that before. And after Atul's role was highlighted, having only caught garbage for so long, Elysia felt even closer to him.
Trying to fish again, this time they finally caught an octopus. It was the first time they caught an octopus, and this octopus struggled before being caught.
After catching something, Atul would happily slap his belly to congratulate you. And he wouldn't hesitate to praise you.
It could be seen that Atul was a character who liked to make Stella happy as much as possible. So Elysia temporarily suppressed her doubts and approached Atul to interact.
Then she rushed up for a big hug. The chubby big frog. It sounded a bit disgusting, but in this scene, it felt so heartwarming. "The setting of this hug is really well done,"
Elysia sighed after hugging Atul.
"Because sometimes a hug really can make people forget a lot of worries and deepen the bond between each other, don't you think?"
"Would you like another hug from me?"
Elysia responded to Bronie.
"No, let's forget it, because doing this too much can inevitably make people feel dependent, which is not good."
There was also a cooldown time for hugs in the game. It took some time, at least a day, before another hug could be given.
"That's too bad."
Elysia could see that Bronie still liked hugs, but since Bronie had already refused, it was better not to do it.
"But it's not necessarily a pity. If you don't mind, how about holding a gathering in the Elysian Ream, inviting everyone from the Elysian Ream to experience the cuisine of the current era again? I can do my best to recreate them, and they'll all be different." Atul was a very food-loving guy. On the ship, discussions ranged from repairing and upgrading the ship to cooking.
And now, it seems like everyone in the Elysian Ream is almost forgetting about these things. Bronie feels like this is an opportunity to bring them beautiful memories.
"Great! Then I'll really look forward to it!"
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Bab 21: Chapter 21: The Gradually Bustling Ship
Elysia's ship gained yet another new passenger.
It was Stella's uncle, a jovial, chubby man who adored lively environments and cherished his family dearly.
Compared to Gwen's aversion to seafood and fruits, Atul was almost indiscriminate in his culinary tastes.
With the arrival of this optimistic and lively character, the atmosphere of the entire game became more cheerful.
Uncle Atul always went out of his way to cheer up Stella, sometimes with playful jokes or by lending a hand with trivial tasks.
Even while traversing the Thundercloud Zone, Atul would teach Stella how to capture lightning in glass bottles.
Yes, capturing lightning in glass bottles—this lightning could become a material for future construction, making it a necessity. While Stella chased lightning, Atul would play stirring melodies on his flute.
Such scenes made Elysia feel like a hero who continuously went to conquer nature while chasing lightning.
But what if they didn't capture any?
In this world, even if they didn't capture lightning, the Everlight would protect Stella and her ship from any harm. It was like a fairy tale world.
However, in some ways, it did slow down the overall pace of the game. The guidance for tasks wasn't very prominent unless the task list was opened, but each completed task meant getting closer to sending someone away.
Every soul boarding the ship would offer an Opal as fare, which could be contributed at various altars on islands to gain entirely new skills.
Recently, the place to exchange skills was naturally the Humming Castle, where many wandering souls resided.
Most of them preferred to live in the castle and didn't want to pass through the Everdoor to move on.
Stella was powerless to change this; all she could do was offer Opals at the altar and gain new abilities—like a double jump. With this ability, the latter half of the Humming Castle's area could also be explored.
Time passed slowly, and after arriving at the Humming Castle, it was already dusk. Heading towards a place that could only be reached by a double jump, the protagonist reached the other end of the Humming Castle's pier where a lonely soul sat on a bench, gazing into the distance.
"What's wrong? Ah! You startled me! ... That cat looks familiar. Dafodill? Is it you? Yes, your fur is still as soft as before. That must mean— Stella, is it really you? What a surprise! Is the ship out at sea yours? You've come to rescue me again. Hmm, but don't rush! This time, let me teach you along others. Let's make a bet! Then let's go. I'll give you all a lesson."
Encounters always felt so natural.
"Another person who knows Stella. Is all of this just a coincidence?"
Elysia noticed many unusual things.
"All of this is certainly not a coincidence, but if you play carefully and treat their deeds as fragments, you can piece together Stella's life and the lives of those friends she encountered," Bronie answered directly, as if it were a matter of course.
It was normal for Elysia to have such doubts; after all, it was also a core part of the game. When she noticed these doubts, it was only natural to unravel the mysteries and connect the dots.
This was also one of the motivations for players to continue playing.
"I didn't expect..." Elysia felt like her spotlight had been directly taken away. Encountering everyone and gradually getting to know their lives. This was also what Elysia did before, and now prepared for—the story of the next possible Human Herrschers.
But now, Bronie was also presenting herself in a similar way through the game.
Truly romantic. Yes, it was romantic.
Elysia also hoped in the future that she also could present herself in such a romantic way to the unknown Human Herrschers among the successors.
"Ah! Stella, look at this fresh air and the expansive view. I feel like I can thrive here. Look, I can even bloom now!"
The ethereal figure of a soul extended its hands upward. Then, the true form of the soul began to materialize.
A snake. A snake draped in a cloak.
"Ah, emerging from the cocoon feels amazing. Thank you, Stella."
"No need to thank me, Summer. Come, let's have a hug of love~" Elysia still gave a loving hug right away.
Hugging a python didn't make one feel afraid of it at all. Summer's hug was so gentle. Her slender body gently wrapped around Stella, as if afraid of hurting her.
After the farewell, Summer headed straight to the entrance of the farmland. She was prepared for the first lesson.
Planting: from sowing to harvesting. It was evident that the snake named Summer had worked in agriculture in her past life.
The blueprint for the vegetable garden was unlocked. Inside, larger vegetables could be planted, such as cabbage or carrots.
Gwen wasn't good at farming, so teaching farming fell to Summer.
First, of course, was sowing seeds. Then came watering.
But what followed surprised Eden a bit.
"In our first lesson, I'll teach you something I'm eager to share with you. You may have noticed that there are some strange rules in this world. I've always been committed to promoting the belief in universal love. You see, the garden reflects the ship of love in our hearts and is also a mirror of ourselves. Now it seems more correct than ever. When I lived on the island before, when I felt lonely, I would sing to the flowers. And just as I expected, they grew even more luxuriantly! Through repeated experiments, I wrote a little song. The plants seem to respond particularly well to it. "
"Using a song to accelerate plant growth?" Eden had never heard of the power of songs having such an effect.
"In our world, there was a scientist in Australia who proposed a topic called biodynamic agriculture in 1942. He believed that soil is the foundation of human health and must be balanced. Humanity, the Earth, and the universe are all one and must rely on the power of all three to nourish and maintain the soil in order to produce healthy crops. In fact, it's a kind of career that focuses on the harmony between society, the environment, and the universe, and there are still people researching it to this day."
"It's interesting to get along well with nature! So Summer is someone who pursues this aspect?"
Elysia immediately understood Bronie's character background for Summer, which was also Bronie's way of describing the world outside to her. Elysia, who always enjoyed observing humans, naturally had a keen interest in such matters.
"Not originally, but later she did study these issues."
Then Summer entered the vegetable garden and began to play the music she had composed. In fact, it was a variation of the game's theme song. In the twilight, the plants swayed with the music, and the lively melody improved everyone's mood considerably. It seemed like this song truly had a magical power, leading the crops in the land to grow continuously.
First, Summer demonstrated, and then Stella conjured a guitar with her Everlight and began to play along.
Teacher and student.
Sunset and the ocean.
Swaying plants and lively tunes. People truly experienced the harmony between humans and nature that Summer spoke of.
Another person appeared on the ship, making it seem even livelier now. With Gwen's task completed, she also started making another request.
She wanted a private room.
It seemed abit too crowded with three people staying in the guest room all att once. So Gwen made such a small request. She wanted a beautiful, simple, and cozy house. A space where she could read and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of the deck, and the sound of Atul jumping around and hitting the boards.
"It's clear that Gwen prefers a quiet environment, Atul has always been so lively. But it seems to be affecting Gwen?"
Eden observed the plot, everything unfolding naturally and smoothly.
It felt as if she had entered the world of the game, becoming Stella and living with those characters day and night.
"So we do need to build a separate room for each of them. But this means we'll need to expand the entire ship at the shipyard."
Elysia also began to plan for the future.
"Don't worry, there's plenty of space on the ship, especially the largest one, which is definitely large enough to accommodate all the facilities. In fact, this game doesn't have much demand for farming or breeding. Basically, you just plant when you need to, and by the time you finish the journey, they've grown."
Bronie didn't recommend rushing through the game; if one rushed it, it could probably be finished in about thirty hours.
But if one wanted to explore all the details along with the story, it might take hundreds of hours.
"Oh, I see. It does seem like that!" Elysia smiled and glanced at Bronie's state.
She was afraid of getting too absorbed in the game and forgetting about Bronie, which might make her unhappy.
But now, seeing her game being played well, seemed to be the happiest thing for Bronie.
A purely hand-drawn game style, every aspect of it seemed like a work of art, telling fairy-tale-like stories of different people's lives. Different lives intertwined, playing a magnificent symphony of life. She's kind of hooked on this game.
No, she should focus more on Bronie, the one who created this game.
Just before Gwen made the request, Elysia and Eden had already prepared the materials. Elysia was the type who liked to be prepared in advance.
After Gwen made the request, she immediately built the hut.
Then, you could see Uncle Atul helping to hammer nails next to Gwen's hut. It seemed that no matter what Stella did, Atul always managed to help a little.
After each character boarded the ship, a new way of obtaining resources would be unlocked. Of course, Summer was no exception.
After Summer boarded the ship, she said she often had dreams, often dreaming of the same thing. It was a giant python, surrounded by many treacherous reefs and rotten fruits.
Following the guidance of the dream, Stella met the Quartz Dragon at sea. The giant dragon seemed to be eroded by stones, tossing and turning in the sea in pain, hoping that Stella could deal with the ore on its body.
Watching Stella, controlled by Elysia, tossing and turning around the Quartz Dragon while dealing with its illness, Summer felt inexplicably complex. It was like...
"It's like seeing my past self, my dear Elysia. Maybe bottled lightning and jellyfish are metaphors for something, and the illness on the Quartz Dragon's body is even more obvious, perhaps related to Summer's past life."
She really was indeed a great artist, with an extraordinary appreciation ability, and even more so in reading comprehension.
Elysia was just a little surprised, but Eden tasted something different from it.
"Yes, Summer didn't mention a dragon, but a python, just like Summer herself."
"And this quartz... embedded in the body, is it cancer?"
"I suspect you peeked at my setting collection, but indeed, the corroded aura, that's a sign of cancer."
Bronie admitted directly. "And Atul, once the vice president of the Workers' Union, led his subordinates to fight for their rightful interests. Therefore, his resistance against lightning is a portrayal of his fearless life, and the jellyfish group... I don't know much about it."
"Wow, it's amazing that you've analyzed these things so quickly. Each new resource acquisition mini-game actually reflects the life stories of those people. Once, Gwen accidentally got stung by a jellyfish in the sea, and when she went to the hospital, she found out she had lung cancer. So her fear of jellyfish is not unfounded."
Another cancer. It also meant that the things they experienced in their past lives were actually very bad and full of regrets.
"Sometimes life is just so unfair, but we still have the opportunity to help them, the opportunity to fulfill their wishes, don't we?"
Elysia still smiled, but underneath that smile, there was an indescribable sadness. In the calm and warm game, there were countless blades hidden.
When tasting it carefully, the hidden blades in the sugar constantly hurt people's hearts.
This is much fiercer than the emotional damage brought by Undertale!
"Exactly, fulfilling their wishes is the duty of you, the Spiritfarer. Only you can help them out of their inner turmoil. No matter how bad the past was, we always walk in the present, facing the future."
"Is this what you want to tell us?" Eden looked at Bronie.
"How about it? Do you have any thoughts of leaving the Elysian Realm and then following me out for adventures?"
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